Plant Pathology Technology Intern

Who are we, and what do we do?

At Corteva Agriscience, you will help us grow what’s next. No matter your role, you will be part of a team that is building the future of agriculture – leading breakthroughs in the innovation and application of science and technology that will better the lives of people all over the world and fuel the progress of humankind.

Brief Job Description

We are seeking a 6‑month Bioinformatics Intern to design, implement, and validate end‑to‑end computational workflows that power high‑throughput sequencing (HTS) diagnostics, metagenomic profiling, pathogen marker design, and comparative genomics. Working within Plant Pathology (Johnston, IA) and partnering closely with wet‑lab scientists and bioinformatics experts, you will transform research assays into robust, documented pipelines that are reproducible at scale on HPC or cloud environments. Microbial experience—especially fungi/oomycetes—is preferred, but strong hands‑on bioinformatics and data processing skills are the primary requirement.

What You’ll Do:

• Adapt, build, and benchmark HTS diagnostic workflows (targeted and shotgun approaches).
• Implement comparative genomics modules: whole‑genome alignment, pangenome analysis, orthology clustering, variant discovery.
• Design and evaluate pathogen markers: multi‑sequence alignments, specificity screens, and panel curation.
• Create automated, stakeholder‑friendly reports/dashboards.
• Partner with wet‑lab scientists to align pipeline inputs/outputs with experimental design and validations
• Document methods, benchmarks, and results; present findings to cross‑functional audiences; enable knowledge transfer.

What Skills You Need:

• Currently pursuing a M.S. or Ph.D. (or exceptional B.S.) in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Microbiology, Plant Pathology, Computer Science, or related field (must be internship‑eligible for 6 months).
• Proficiency in Linux command line, Python and/or R; strong data wrangling/visualization skills.
• Hands‑on experience building or utilizing sequencing workflows with short‑read (Illumina) and/or long‑read (Oxford Nanopore) data processing and QC.
• Familiarity with metagenomics and microbial community profiling tools.
• Exposure to variant analysis, marker/assay design, and specificity assessment preferred.
• Basic microbiology or molecular biology lab familiarity—especially with fungi/oomycetes—is preferred.
• Excellent documentation practices, Git/GitHub usage, and clear communication with diverse stakeholders.

Benefits – How We’ll Support You:

• Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills.
• Be part of a company with a higher purpose and contribute to making the world a better place.
• Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment.
• Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well-being pay per year, plus paid holidays.
• Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father.
• Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program.
• Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits.
• Check out life at Corteva! www.linkedin.com/company/corteva/life.

Are you a good match? Apply today! We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.

Corteva Agriscience is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing our differences to enrich lives, advance innovation, and boost company performance. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy related conditions (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), disability or any other protected status in accordance with federal, state, or local laws.

Are you a good match? Apply today! We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.

Corteva Agriscience is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing our differences to enrich lives, advance innovation, and boost company performance. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy related conditions (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), disability or any other protected status in accordance with federal, state, or local laws.